Hungerford, Queensland
| Hungerford Queensland | |
|---|---|
 The view around the Royal Mail Hotel | |
  Hungerford | |
| Coordinates | 28°59′45″S 144°24′29″E / 28.99583°S 144.40806°ECoordinates: 28°59′45″S 144°24′29″E / 28.99583°S 144.40806°E |
| Population | 59 (2006 census)[1] |
| Postcode(s) | 4493 |
| Location |
|
| LGA(s) | Shire of Bulloo |
| State electorate(s) | Warrego |
| Federal Division(s) | Maranoa |
Hungerford is a locality in outback South West Queensland, Australia, immediately north of the border with New South Wales and the Dingo fence. At the 2006 census, Hungerford and the surrounding area had a population of 59.[1] Surrounding the town is the Currawinya National Park.
History
The town is named after Thomas Hungerford who once camped at the site.[2] The town developed from a border customs post on a stock route alongside the Paroo River. In 1874, the first hotel in the opened and the following year the town was gazetted.[2] For a number of years, before a proper survey was conducted the town was thought to be located in New South Wales.[2]
Hungerford Post Office opened on 1 October 1880, was replaced by a New South Wales office in 1881, reopened in 1886 and closed by 1907, replaced the New South Wales office in 1941 and closed by 1985.[3]
In 1892-3, Henry Lawson visited the town and wrote a short story named after it. In the story he wrote:
The town is right on the Queensland border, and an inter-provincial rabbit-proof fence -- with rabbits on both sides of it -- runs across the main street. ...
Hungerford consists of two houses and a humpy in New South Wales, and five houses in Queensland. Characteristically enough, both the pubs are in Queensland. We got a glass of sour yeast at one and paid six pence for it -- we had asked for English ale.[4]
A Cobb & Co coach service to the town was stopped in 1904.[2]
Heritage listings
Hungerford has a number of heritage-listed sites, including:
- Archernar Street: Royal Mail Hotel[5]
References
- 1 2 Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Hungerford (Bulloo Shire) (State Suburb)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 4 May 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland) (2002). Heritage Trails of the Queensland Outback. State of Queensland. p. 114. ISBN 0-7345-1040-3.
- ↑ Premier Postal History. "Post Office List". Premier Postal Auctions. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
- ↑ Peter Pierce, ed. (1987). The Oxford Literary Guide to Australia. Melbourne: Oxford University Press. p. 47.
- ↑ "Royal Mail Hotel (entry 601390)". Queensland Heritage Register. Queensland Heritage Council. Retrieved 7 July 2013.
External links
Media related to Hungerford, Queensland at Wikimedia Commons
Hungerford travel guide from Wikivoyage